Change
by You'd be pretty in any colour
Summary: Dan finds a message on Phil's phone that puts a thought into his head that he just can't shake. And with an incident happening on their ever popular radio show, can they really be more than friends?
1. Prologue

**A/N: Okay so I had this idea for a phanfic and I just needed to write it idk? But yeah tell me if you think I should continue or whatever ok**

'Hey Dan, I'm just going to the shop.' Phil said cheerfully as he unlocked the door, and Dan didn't look up from him computer but simply waved his hand limply. Phil sighed. He did wish Dan would put more effort into their friendship, but he understood that Dan was currently editing a video and he wanted to get it done by the end of the day, so he pushed his doubts outside and walked to the shops.

'Why don't you just tell him?' The inner voice inside Dan's head said, and Dan pushed it away once again. He'd had so many of these stupid thoughts of how he was looking at Phil as more than a friend, but he knew they didn't mean anything. Like, Phil was his friend, that was it. He tried to return his thoughts back to editing the video, but thoughts of Phil kept entering his head. He'd never thought of him like this before, so why now? Dan couldn't help but think of 'the incident' a few days ago...

'Dan, could you help me out with this please?' Phil shouted from the living room, and Dan grunted. He didn't really like to be forced to be moved, but he went into the living room to investigate. He found Phil on the floor attempted to lift the sofa up but failing. He couldn't laugh though, he knew he couldn't do any better.

'I think I dropped my phone.' Phil said, pointing to the sofa. Dan grumbled to himself, and attempted to lift up the sofa. It wasn't long before he was complaining and had to drop it.

'Where did you last have it?' Dan asked, and Phil looked nervously around.  
'It might be in the kitchen.' He shrugged. 'You keep looking in here.' Phil walked out and Dan threw the cushions off the sofa, and grinned to himself as he saw Phil's phone. He didn't mean to, but he flicked on the screen and saw one new message.

_If you like him that much, tell him._

Dan almost dropped the phone in shock. Could it be about him? No, it couldn't be. Phil would never think of Dan in that way... it would never work. They were just friends, right?

'Hey, did you find it?' Phil walked back in the room and Dan gulped as he handed him the phone. He wouldn't know he'd read the message, surely? Dan felt his heart beat fast, and all of a sudden he noticed how beautiful Phil was. How bright his eyes were, how his hair... Stop it! Stop it! Dan thought to himself. Phil is a friend, nothing more. Dan noticed he must have seemed weird just staring at Phil, so sat down and smiled. He could never like Phil. Phil had always been his best friend and nothing more.

'What if he starts noticing I've been behaving differently?' Dan asked himself out loud, and then shook the fear away. He wouldn't notice, he'd just come up with one of his theories and leave Dan to it. He hoped, anyway. If Phil confronted him about it, he had no clue what he'd say. Oh, I think we both like each other? I think I'm falling for you? In reality, he'd probably just stand there, dry at the mouth, without a word to say. Dan pushed his doubts away and returned to editing the video. These thoughts would pass, he knew it.


	2. We're All In This Together

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows! Means a lot. Okay, so I came up with this idea in my head and I want to see how it'll work out... I updated the description as I've kinda completely turned the story around, I hope you guys don't mind...

'Are you ready for the radio show?' Phil asked, a smug smile on his face.

'What are you planning?' Dan laughed, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Dan hadn't stopped thinking about the message and it was a week later, but no more had been said about it so he'd tried to push it out of his mind. His attempts seemed to be failed, though. It always came back to haunt him. It kept him awake at night, and he created a million scenarios in his head of what could happen.

'You'll see.' Phil jokingly said, and Dan started to feel his palms sweating. Could he really be planning something related to the message? What if... No, he couldn't be. He wouldn't be that dumb, he wouldn't risk losing the best gig they'd ever had. So Dan simply smiled sweetly at Phil, thoughts swirling around in his head.

-  
'You're watching Dan and Phil on radio 1!' Phil's voice appeared shaky, with excitement but also with fear. Dan noticed, and the thoughts of what were going to happen returned. But Phil's like a little kid, everything scares him, Dan thought, in attempts to comfort himself. As Phil clicked play on one of the videos, Dan decided to confront him. It was either that or it would eat away at him and worry him and he was already worrying.

'Phil?' He asked, and Phil looked up. Normally, he'd smile, or his eyes would light up. Neither happened this time. Dan tried not to think, tried not to let his mind wonder what it would be like to stare in his eyes forever. He couldn't. They were only friend, just friends...

'Yeah?' He replied, and he appeared to be looking everywhere but at Dan. His hands were shaking, and Dan instinctively placed his hand on top of Phil's without thinking. Phil looked down at his hand for a moment in confusion, but Dan realised it was too late to move it away, so tried to cover it up by talking.

'Are you okay? You seem a little...' Dan shrugged, not knowing how to finish his sentence. He awkwardly moved his hand off Phil's, hoping he wouldn't notice. Phil looked down and seemed instinctively hurt, and it broke Dan's heart. He was such a shit friend.

'I know you saw that message.' Phil said, his voice seeming hollow. It was no longer shaky, but Dan noticed his hands were still shaking.

'I didn't mean to...' Dan started to protest, but Phil put a finger to his lips and smiled.

'It's okay.' He whispered, and Dan felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He'd hate to be the reason behind Phil being upset.

'Were you talking about me?' Dan asked, leaning closer in. He didn't know what he was doing, his breathing became heavier and he couldn't even look Phil in the eyes.

'Yes...' Phil said, avoiding Dan's gaze. Dan stepped closer to him and lifted up his chin, making them have direct eye contact. And then he kissed him. It was only the smallest kiss, like a peck on the lips. But it was enough. And for a moment, the world stopped. It was similar to one of those cliche movie moments when they stared at each other and acted like they were the only two people in the world. They were only taken out of their fantasy by a voice.

'Guys...?' One of the radio editors said, seeming slightly confused. She pointed to their headsets, in which they realised they still had on.

'SHIT!' Dan shouted, louder than he had hoped. Everybody looked at him in shock, he said it so loud he thought people in China would be able to hear.

'Dan, I'm sorry but-' Dan held up his hands in defence and grabbed a couple of the things he had there.

'I'm sorry, everyone. And I'm sorry, Phil.' He said, the tears starting to spill over his eyelid. Why did he have to kiss him? If he hadn't of kissed him, none of this would have happened. Or he could've waited until they got home. Dammit, Daniel, Dammit! He hated himself, Phil probably hated him too, why did he have to go and ruin it, why, why, why?

'Wait.' Phil said, and he grabbed the few things he had and walked out with Dan. Dan looked at him in shock. He should have expected it, really. They'd had a promise that if one of them got kicked off or quit, so would the other. But as it was completely his fault, Dan didn't expect Phil to stand up for him.

'Phil, you didn't have to-' Dan said, but Phil just shushed him.

'I did have to.' He said, and Dan wondered why he wasn't angry. If it had been the other way around, Dan would be angry. He knew he would. Fuck, I'm such a shit friend, Dan thought.

'We're going to be okay.' Phil smiled, and Dan couldn't help but smile too. They would be okay. They always were.


	3. Why Does It Have To Be This Way?

As soon as they got home, Dan ran into his room. He hated himself and how badly he'd fucked up. The same question repeated in his mind; why did he kiss him? Why couldn't he just have waited? He sobbed into his pillow, trying his best not to feel sorry for himself. He couldn't imagine how Phil was feeling. He wasn't the one who fucked up, he wasn't the one who swore on live radio. Dan pulled himself out of the pillow, wiping his tears away. He knew what he had to do.

'Dan, are you okay?' Phil asked, noticing how red Dan's eyes were. Dan nodded, and sat on the sofa. He clicked on the TV, and noticed Phil looking at him.

'Are we not going to talk about what happened?' Phil asked, and Dan deliberately ignored his question. In his mind, he believed if he ignores the situation, acted like it never happened, everything would work out. He thought it would be best for Phil, also. A relationship between them would be the biggest mess, and Dan was scared of hurting Phil.

'You can't ignore the situation.' Phil said, and Dan could hear the sadness in his voice. All he really wanted to do was hold him, even for a moment. But he knew that was selfish, that he had to think of what was best for Phil. And what was best for Phil right now was to not be corrupted by Dan's thoughts. At least, that's what Dan thought. Phil moved closer to Dan, so he was now standing directly in front of him. Dan looked up, and noticed Phil's tear-stricken face. Shit. He'd made him cry. That was the opposite of what he was trying to achieve. Phil grabbed the remote out of Dan's hand, and turned off the TV.

'FUCKING TALK TO ME!' He screamed, choking back tears. For a moment, Dan was stunned into silence. He'd never seen this side of Phil, he'd never really seen him angry. Dan looked up at Phil again. No, he wasn't angry. He was hurt. Dan had hurt Phil. The one thing he'd tried to avoid, the one thing he had never wanted to do. And for once, Dan didn't know what to say. So him and Phil stood there for a moment looking at each other, until Dan broke the stare and looked away.

'I fucked up.' Dan laughed, stating the obvious. He had to laugh, for if he didn't laugh, he felt he would cry. And he was so sick of crying, it made him feel helpless. Phil sat down next to Dan, letting him know he wasn't angry anymore.

'It's okay.' Phil reassured Dan, and Dan wondered what he'd done to deserve somebody in his life like Phil. Somebody who hardly ever got angry, somebody who was there for him no matter what. Someone who always picked up the pieces when he screwed up.

'What did I do to deserve you?' Dan asked, more of a question to himself. Phil just smiled, and leaned in closer to Dan. Shit, he's going to kiss me, isn't he? This is not what I wanted. No, no, no. But no matter what Dan thought, when Phil's lips were on his he couldn't stop himself and the passion overtook and he kissed him back. For a while, he was just lost inside Phil's kiss. But then he realised what he was doing, and pulled away.

'No. No. No.' He whispered, turning away. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. They were just supposed to forget, forget that that first kiss ever happened and just ignore the situation.

'You know, I tried. The rest is up to you.' Phil sighed as he walked out of the room, and Dan already missed his presence. He couldn't blame him, if the positions had been switched, Dan didn't know what he would do. Had he really in trying to think of what was best for Phil, completely switched it and only thought of himself? Oh god, only you could do that, Dan, he thought. He clicked on his phone and went onto twitter for a second. No doubt they'd created a massive shitstorm.

The same question repeated in his mentions: So are you and Phil dating? He wondered for a second if he should tweet, but decided against it. He really couldn't be bothered with drama. His eyelids started to drop, and he put his phone onto the table as he fell asleep.

'Dan?' Phil whispered, the door creaking as he opened it. He saw Dan snuggled into the sofa and had to stop himself from laughing. He did look rather strange, but also incredibly cute. Phil grabbed a blanket and draped it over Dan, tucking him in slightly.

Phil sighed to himself. He had never wanted his feelings for Dan to affect their friendship, but it seemed it had. Then a thought came into Phil's head; maybe they needed time apart. Then they could both figure out their feelings, and have a mature conversation about it. That was what happened in movies, right? But to live up to the movie thing, Phil would have to sneak out, he realised. He thought for a moment if he should wait until Dan wakes up, to explain to him. But Dan seemed pretty messed up at the moment, and his head seemed to be in ten different places. Phil was going through the same thing, he'd just always been better at hiding it.

He called up a friend and asked if he could stay there for a while. He said not to ask why, that he just needed to. They agreed and he started to pack his things into a bag. He didn't need much, just clothes, his phone and a few other little things. He looked at Dan sleeping peacefully for a moment, and kissed his cheek ever so softly. Dan stirred slightly, so Phil stepped away and carefully opened the door. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a pen, and scribbled out a note.

I think we need some time apart, for both of us to clear our heads and figure out what we want. -Phil

He left it on the kitchen counter, and grabbed his bag and walked out.

A/N: okay, I'm not sure if this chapter was that good. I didn't want to rush into their relationship because so many fanfics do that and it completely ruins them. So, read and review, thanks! I don't know what happened with the last time I uploaded this, I accidentally must have copied it twice, fail.


	4. Let's Be Alone Together

Dan awoke from his sleep feeling much better than he previously had, and noticed there was now a blanket on him. He smiled to himself, knowing Phil had put it there. In his sleep, he'd had a dream of what it would be like to date Phil. And whilst he was still wary, he knew now he wanted to try it. He thought for a second of if he should try to surprise Phil, as he would probably currently be sleeping. So Dan walked into the kitchen, unaware of the note that lay on the counter.

He decided he'd make Phil breakfast, as a thank you. He hadn't really properly thanked him for leaving the radio show with him, or for putting up with him, and he felt like he should. So he started to get breakfast ready, when he noticed a piece of paper that hadn't been there the night before. He read it once. And then he read it again. He read it over and over again until the tears in his eyes made the ink on the note smear. He slumped down and sobbed. He didn't want to be without Phil, he couldn't. He walked back into the living room and grabbed his phone, his hands shaking. He found Phil's number and hit call.

'Please pick up.' He begged into the phone. He just wanted to talk to him, get him to come home, maybe. He could tell him he'd decided that he wanted to try a relationship, that he was sorry he'd shut him out.

'Hey.' Phil said, and Dan almost dropped the phone in shock. He'd expected to get his answer phone.

'Phil, I-I' Dan's mouth became dry, the words he wanted to form not coming out.

'Listen to me, Dan. This is temporary, I'll be here for two weeks at most. And in that time we can both think things through. It'll be best for both of us.' Phil tried to remain serious, but him and Dan's conversations had never been serious. This all felt so wrong, like they hadn't know each other for years, like they weren't best friends.

'But Phil-'

'Just trust me.' Phil pleaded, and Dan became silent for a moment. He just wanted Phil to come home, was that so bad? But still, in a corner of his mind, he knew Phil was right. But god, it hurt. It hurt because all Dan wanted to do was have Phil here with him, it hurt because they both had feelings for each other so why the hell were they not with each other?

'Please come home.' Dan begged, a shyness in his voice. It reminded Phil of when they'd first met, of how shy and insecure he had been compared to the outspoken, sarcastic guy he was now. Phil knew he couldn't come home yet, that staying away would make everything better.

'I can't.' Phil choked back tears as he hit the end call button. Why did everything have to be so difficult? He chucked the phone down, and instantly it was lost in a sea of dirty clothes. There were a lot cleaner apartments he could have stayed at, but Matt was the only person he knew who never asked any questions, and would be awake at midnight and open to sharing his place. So really, he couldn't complain.

'Hey Matt.' Phil smiled as he walked into the kitchen. He'd known Matt for around three years, through a friend who, coincidentally, he was no longer friends with.

'Hey. Want some?' Matt asked, handing Phil a piece of toast with jam on it. Phil took it, and made himself a drink. It felt odd without Dan being there, and Phil wondered if he'd get used to it. He knew he couldn't stay away for long, and he'd have to face Dan on Sunday, unless he made an excuse. But then he'd be letting everyone down, and he hated to think that way. So he decided to suck it up. This 'time away' was supposed to be for figuring out their feelings for each other, right? So that's what he would do.

'Think of the problems a relationship with Dan would cause. It could ruin your friendship forever!' Phil said out loud, thinking to himself. Matt had left to go to work, so Phil was on his own. He liked it better that way, if he was honest. It allowed him to sort out his thoughts without any distractions. Even though with some of the thoughts that were entering his mind, a distraction would have been welcome. He thought of his first meeting with Dan, of how as soon as they met it was like they had been friends for years. Of how they could talk for hours and hours about nonsense. Nobody understand Phil like Dan did, and nobody understand Dan like Phil did. Their friendship was too beautiful to ruin, wasn't it?

Phil lay back down on his bed and let out a deep sigh. He was so conflicted, there were so many pros and cons to being with Dan. He remembered how his lips had felt when they touched his. And he remembered how in that moment he could have kissed Dan forever, if he hadn't pulled away.

Why had he pulled away? Phil asked himself. Was it because he was scared? Scared of the same things he was? Phil knew only Dan could answer these questions, but he didn't want to influence his decision. Phil grabbed his phone from under the mess of clothes, and went onto twitter.

Sorry about the fact that there will be no more radio show :(

He sent the tweet and immediately got many reassuring replies. He smiled, until he saw Dan's name.

It's my fault, you shouldn't have to apologise. I'm sorry.

Phil could almost feel the emptiness in Dan's tweet. He decided to call him up, to check that he was doing ok.

'Hey.' Phil said softly, and Dan was silent on the other side for a moment. Phil heard him sniff and knew he'd been crying.

'I miss you.' Dan finally said, and Phil felt his heart sink. They needed the time apart, didn't they? If they rushed into a relationship, and it didn't work out, they'd probably never be able to look at each other the same way again. No, thinking things through was best. Phil knew he'd rather have not tried the relationship and maybe slightly regret it than try the relationship and have their friendship ruined.

'You know this is for the best.' Phil tried to be comforting. Usually whenever he and Dan talked, one would be cracking a joke immediately. The seriousness of the conversation made Phil uncomfortable.

'Well, at least without you here I can walk around the house naked.' Dan laughed, almost reading Phil's mind. They'd always had that almost telepathic connection.

'You could've done that anyway.' Phil said, and then immediately regretted it. He and Dan would often joke around on subjects like that, but he didn't think now was the time.

But Dan seemed unaffected by his comment, brushing it off by saying 'You've seen me naked already'. Phil could sense the nervous tone in his voice, but he also seemed slightly excited. Excited that the friendship he had with Phil hadn't been ruined completely, like he thought it had. Although, Dan couldn't decide if this was joking around or flirting. Either way, Dan couldn't deny he enjoyed it.

'True. But one more time couldn't hurt.' The words escaped Phil's mouth before he realised it. He hadn't even thought of what he was saying, he didn't mean it, did he? He heard Dan's nervous laugh on the other side of the phone, and knew he needed to cover up his fatal mistake.

'I mean-'

'It's okay.' Dan reassured Phil. He knew what he meant. At least he thought he did. They were then in silence on the phone for a while, neither knowing what to say. They both had many thoughts of what they wanted to say, but still remained in silence.

'Well, I should go.' Phil said, finally breaking the silence. He didn't kind silence with Dan usually, but this time he knew there were a lot of things unsaid. And Phil didn't know if he wanted to hear them.

'Bye.' Dan said, feeling slightly happier. They both knew what they wanted now, yet they didn't know if the other felt the same.

A/N: This chapter seems so long, wow. Sorry if it drags on a bit, I left it for like a week and then went back to it with many different ideas. Okay, so next chapter I was thinking of making them discuss the idea of a relationship. I can't decide if the pace is too slow, too quick, or just right. And also I hope the flirting wasn't too cringey. And something else, I'm trying to write a Jalex (Jack and Alex, All Time Low) and Phan fanfiction, although I'm not getting very far with it. It's basically where Dan and Phil get asked to interview ATL. If you have any ideas for that that'd be fab and yeah review and I'm sorry if this chapter was kinda sucky or anything. I'm hoping to make the next chapter kinda fluffy or angsty, let me know what one you'd prefer!


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